Unexpected
by Cxeay
Summary: Sparrow makes a slightly different choice at the Spire. She'd rather go to Samarkand, with Garth and Reaver. This leads to an unexpected romance with the most unexpected person. FemSparrowXReaver
1. The Choice

**Plot:** Sparrow makes a slightly different choice at the Spire. She'd rather go to _Samarkand, _with Garth and Reaver, a place where she's unknown, and free from her heroic obligations. This happy life in paradise doesn't last long before she gets bored, and her boredom leads her down an unexplored path.

**Paing:** Female SparrowXReaver

**Rating: **Teen. Possibly Mature later.

**Genre:** Romance; Possible Angst

**(A/N)** I don't usually write FemaleXMale. I usually write slash, so this kind of stuff is new to me, but I usually am a great writer, so no worries. Also, I imagine Sparrow being 25-28. She appeared to be a mere teen as her journey began, and within a few months, she was in the Spire. Ten years past, and again she encountered everything quickly, becoming infamous is just days. So I don't imagine her being old like she appeared to be closer to the end of the game. She looked in her forties in the game.

Also, being as old as she was, she never married, and hardly encountered romance. (So the 'Til Death Do Us Part' wasn't completed by her.) She's a neutral character, leaning towards the good side. I normally play the game as a bisexual gay manwhore with spouse abuse tendencies. This will be mega short because of time restrictions.

First Chapter is my view of the choice being made, and my own little twist to it. Dialog isn't 100% accurate because I do have a life, and don't have time to memorize that part in the game, but I do get the gist of what was said.

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** The Choice**

"The choice is your own…" The raspy female voice of her mentor of 20 years echoed around her ears. Three cards floated in front of her, each listing a choice, only one of which she could choose. Each one involved a painful sacrifice that no human should be made to make. If she revived her family, would they even recognize her anymore? Her mum and dad had died when she was just a small babe, and she had long sense gotten used to the idea of her sister's death. Her dog was all that was left, and even he would be a worthless reason to waste this wish, but he was near death anyway. Twenty was far past the expiration date for a normal dog, even a hero's dog couldn't bear much more. The other choice, to revive all of those who'd died in the building of the Spire. Most of the men who died were heartless brutes and the homeless anyway; the undesirables of society. The public would give thanks for the regained sons and husbands though, but she was done with the judgments of others. Besides, all the thanks they would give her were likely to be a kind word on occasion, a selfish thought. She believed in destiny anyway, they would have died sooner or later, and who was she to go against what the higher powers had already set out for those people. The only choice left was wealth. A selfish one to say the least, but it's the only thing left that didn't involve a reincarnation that would end in a miserable disaster. Sparrow reluctantly plucked the card out of the air, her reward for all her hardship.

The white faded away, and Theresa stood in front of her; her allies around her. "The world will bear the consequence of you decision." She said in a cool manner, her blind eyes glaring down at her without judgment. The eyes of her friends held a different story. Reaver was clearly envious of her, his face twisted in a devious smirk, loving how complicated his newest ally appeared to be. Hammer on the other hand looked devastated, even angered by her choice. It was an expected reaction to a former monk. She straightened up, her muscles tensed up in an intimidating manner. "How could you do something like this? Have you no shame? All those people that have died, what about them! All for what; a few pennies? " She growled, "What about your family? I thought you loved them. You've lost your only chance to ever bring them back." Her face twisted into one filled with agony, she was thinking about her father.

"I would have made the same choice, good for you." Reaver piped in with a cheery voice that only made Hammer's wrath intensify. "Reaver agrees with you! Is that what you want? Does that make you happy?" Hammer hissed out. "Right, right...Anyway…What do we get from all of this?" Reaver interrupted before Hammer could a long monologue about Sparrow's corrupt choice.

"I can't give you anything, but I can teleport you anywhere you'd like." The gypsy woman said with her usual nonchalant attitude.

"I would like to go back to _Samarkand_, I remember it from when I was young, and I'd love to go back." Garth said, finally giving his opinion.

"Sounds nice, an uninhabited land…full of uninhabited people I presume." Reaver said; his usual devious smirk plastered across his smug face.

"It's nothing like that. You can come, just stay out of my way." Garth said coldly, glaring cruelly at Reaver. It was now obvious that he couldn't stand the man. It was probably the only thing that both he and Hammer had in common.

"Don't worry, my plans won't interfere with anything you're doing," Reaver assured him.

"Aye, and I want to go up north with those warrior monks, and study under them. I'm tired of all the fighting. I'm tired of causing the fighting too. " She turned to Sparrow, her face lighting up, "I know why those Hallowmen appeared that day. You brought them in. Two monks would have found nothing, but a Warrior always finds battle. I'm glad I met you that day. You're about the best friend anyone could have." Hammer smiled.

"I want to go to _Samarkand _too. I don't have anything left here," said Sparrow. Her monologue was much shorter than all the others', but it was merely because she was hiding her heavy heart.

"Very well. " Theresa's voice rang out. "The world is yours, but the Spire is mine. Now… Begone." The last word she said echoed as a bright light encased the heroes, and the ground shook beneath their feet. Within a few moments, the light dissolved around them, and a new scene was revealed. Garth, Reaver, and Sparrow stood in a small circle near each other on a small beach. The sky was grey; the clouds drooping with the heavy weight of the water the held in their bellies. The sand was wet under their feet, suggesting that it had already rained once today. Just beyond the sand stood several Old Kingdom buildings, mixed with more modern ones; all of which appeared to be homes. Villagers had done a good job keeping the older structures up. A few stores stood nearer to the end of the village. In the distance other Arcane structures stood, but these appeared to be shrines of some sort. It was now obvious why Garth loved it here so much.

Reaver grimaced; this was clearly not what he'd imagined. He was hoping it was some paradise island. Sparrow on the other hand still had hope that it would be a paradise once the sun came out, and the citizens emerged from their cozy homes. She was looking around, wondering how she'd acquire her wealth, and begin her living her. The homes she saw looked expensive. She already had some money from her 5-star bartending jobs, and selling items she'd collected on her journey, but she doubted it would pay for one of these houses, plus living expenses. The emblem on her necklace grew warm suddenly, and a voice pierced out. "I place your reward on the end of the dock; I would have put it in the Chamber of Faith for you if you had stayed. I suggest you hurry before some passer-by claims it. " The emblem grew cold again. The voice was Theresa's. They all had heard the voice, and instinct forced their eyes to seek out this dock, and the treasure on it. It wasn't far from where they stood, so they made the short journey to the dock together. The dock only went about ten feet into the ocean water, and it was bare. No one stood near it, Theresa, like Reaver, seemed to misinterpret the amount of activity here; it was obvious no one had even passed by the dock in the past few hours. They walked across the creaky boards to the treasure with dull looks on their faces. Sparrow was the one to open the chest.

"Want to split it? I don't need it all." She offered her companions. They all agreed to split it, and sat around the chest as they counted out the gold pieces, or at least estimated the amounts they had. Reaver eagerly took his share, and tied it into a satchel that was hidden behind his cape. (All adventures have to carry one after all) Garth was less enthusiastic about his wealth, and even let Sparrow keep most of it. He only needed enough for a small house. All he needed was a bed and a study to survive. After dividing, they all went to the town, looking for "For Sale" Signs on the buildings.

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**(A/N)** There's less detail nearer the end because 1) these aren't important details and 2) because I need some sleep, and I want to finish this story tonight. It's short because I started this a little over an hour ago, and I'm determined to get this story started. It's only 2 1/2 pages on MS Word, including the A/N's. So, so sorry for this. The entire story hasn't been plotted out, but most of it is. Any suggestions, you may message me. I promise these chapters will get better. Next chapter, Settling In. Sparrow and the find and settle into their new homes.

P.S. I like to make the romance realistic unlike most other people on FF who jump right into not only the kissing and smut, but love. And I also have to make our virgin Sparrow semi-comfortable with the progression… But she will end up with Reaver, so I'm not sure how comfortable she'll be allowed to be. I'll describe her appearance in the nest chapter, again, I was stripped of appropriate time on this chapter. I promise that she isn't Mary-Sue because for one, she's not an OC, and two, I'm a more seasoned writer and reader than most of the 12 year old OC writers featured on this site.


	2. This is Home Now

**(A/N) **I know, the first part is boring. I assure you that it'll get better. I would hate to just start as "Then Reaver snaked his arm around her and planted a kiss on her soft lips" Or something like that. That's just clichéd. But still, the beginning is hardly good storytelling, but it'll change. I hope anyway.

I've acquired a beta, her name I Kelsey, and she's my best friend in reality. To those who wish to spam her with love, she's the third reviewer. Also, this chapter took a longgg time to write because I was continuously distracted by various things. Total of 6 hours spend doing it. Probably 2 after you subtract all the things I've been doing when I was trying to do this.

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**This is Home Now...**

Sparrow walked through the dim town; her boots were sticking to the wet, sandy road that ran through the midst of the town. She could see the town square up ahead, where a few stalls stood abandoned because of the morning's rain. A large stone sundial was the centerpiece of the square. It only added to the misery of the grey little village, considering all the buildings were grey or black stone, and the rain clouds seemed to suck the life out of any color brave enough to show itself. They even seemed to pull the color from the few faces she saw through windows as she walked down the street. These pale faced citizens were watching the foreign woman walk through their town. Reaver was just ahead of her.

He'd already set his sights on the largest building in town. He had to establish himself as the newest dictator by having the most expensive luxuries, the most beautiful ladies, and the best parties. He _was_ Reaver after all. He measured himself as the most divine creature on the planet. When he looked over his shoulder to see the young Sparrow following behind him, looking lost, his signature smirk crossed his lips and he said:

"You look like a scared kitten. It's a wonder how _you_ managed to defeat Lucien, of all people."

She looked up, acknowledging he said something, but refused to give him the satisfaction of a clever comeback. Instead, she turned right onto the next street she saw. Reaver still felt like he'd won this mental challenge and continued his conceited strut towards his chosen castle. As he approached it, he was glad to see a "For Sale" sign posted by the door. This meant he wouldn't have to filthy up his new home's floor with some bloody peasant corpses. He picked up the flimsy clipboard and looked at it. Two hundred forty thousand gold. That wasn't too bad, he thought. He flipped through the papers, looking for a name to which he had to pay the money, or in his case, a head at which to aim his pistol in an attempt at a free home.

Elsewhere, Garth was walking down the street, hardly thinking of anything other than the recent encounter and how the Old Kingdom magic could create something likening the Spire. How could something so great grant such a silly wish as 'Wealth', was it capable of more, and what did Theresa want a seemingly useless tower for? She had said only one wish could be granted, or was there something far more sinister about to happen? His head swarmed with many more questions with the same dreary tone. He knew the streets well enough so that he wouldn't be lost when he awoke from his dazed state. When he finally did, he found himself in the tavern. No one was there; it was too early for the usual customers to be up, or better yet, too late for them to be out. The bartender looked at Garth with a bit of interest. He looked familiar, but he definitely wasn't a local.

"Can I get you a drink, sir?" asked the bartender, straightening up his back and busying himself by cleaning a glass with a dingy rag.

"No thanks. I'm just looking around town," Garth replied. He paused a moment, those thoughts still in his mind. "On second thought, just one will be fine," he said, slowly making the way over to the bar.

Later in the day, after the cool morning turned into a warm, Autumn afternoon and Sparrow had chosen her home, people began to emerge from their homes. The town had at last come to life after the threat of rain had passed, and the sun welcomed them with a radiant glow. Sparrow had just paid the appointed person the money for the house, a woman who greedily grabbed the coins from her. She nearly forgot to give Sparrow the deed before sneaking back into the dark depths of her home to count out her new fortune. Sparrow walked out into the sunshine, trying not to think too deeply on the woman's situation.

She saw men and women in fancy clothing walking down the streets. Each was the perfect representation of their sex. Most of the women had pale, smooth faces with rose-colored lips, and beautiful blonde curls. Their eyes glowed with youth and enthusiasm. Sparrow instantly felt a pang in her heart. She rarely had low self-esteem, normally too busy for such nonsense, but now she was in a land of beautiful, dignified people. She sighed in anguish. Maybe leaving her fame back in Albion wasn't the best idea: she was nobody here. The men were still no match for Reaver's charm, as she was sure he'd already noticed. They were tall and muscular but not so much as to be a visual oddity. They were well groomed, and each sported dignified beards of various sorts to match their face shapes. It was like each and every person had gone to a high class beauty and fashion school.

She shook the thoughts from her head; this wasn't what she was here for. She shoved the deed deep into her pocket, and walked discreetly past the human gods. "Did you hear about that house warming party tonight?" she heard from more than one person as she scurried by the crowds. Clearly, Reaver was already making his mark, and by luck, she ran into her ally exiting the furniture store. He waltzed over to her with a grin on his face, grabbed her round the waist, and pulled her against his body. She felt her face grow warm, not being used to this kind of physical contact. "Everything's going perfectly. I've only had to kill one poor bastard today!" He smiled and pointed with his free hand at a group of men exiting the furniture store carrying elegantly decorated furniture.

"Err…that's nice," Sparrow replied as she wiggled away from the man's grasp.

"You'll be coming, won't you?" He asked, not turning away from the muscled men carrying the pieces of furniture down the street. His cocked his eyebrow, awaiting an answer.

"To what?" she asked innocently, playing stupid for a moment. She didn't want to seem desperate to accept the invitation.

"My house warming party; half the village knows about it already. All the beautiful women will be there, along with champagne to keep them talking and, more importantly, to get them in my bedroom tonight." He chuckled and glanced in her direction. "Oh, and I'm sure a few men will do the same for you too." He added, dully, to keep her interested in the idea.

"When is this party of yours?" she asked simply. She really didn't know if she'd even attend now after learning Reaver's intentions, but she really should have known that anyway.

"In about three hours or so…" he said, looking up at the sun to get an idea of the time.

Sparrow blinked in disbelief. "You can't possibly redecorate _and_ organize a party in such short time. "

"Ahh, but I can. I've done it hundreds of times before, and I can do it again." He bragged with his head held high. "I expect you there. And wear something..._flattering_," he said, looking at her garments in disdain. She wore a Highway Man coat, a pauper shirt, hot pants, and bandit boots, all of which had been hurriedly died black and looked absolutely horrid.

"Ciao." He waved lazily as he strolled away, following the last of the men leaving the furniture store.

She waved weakly before looking down at her clothes with misery. She wasn't fashion forward at all. She simply dressed for comfort. She mumbled to herself and walked to her new home with her eyes pointed downward. It was slightly larger than the average house with three bedrooms, a nice living room, and a kitchen. It had just a few furnishing that were included with the house, and she didn't plan on shopping for new furniture anytime in the near future. Most of the furniture was average at the least, so the matter wasn't pressing. She stepped inside her property and made her way up the creaky stairs to the bedroom she had chosen as her own during the earlier inspection the house. She opened the door to reveal an elaborately furnished room that put the rest of the home to shame. Everything was purple and gold. It looked like a king's bedroom to her.

She opened the empty, oak chest at the foot of her large bed. At the bottom, she placed her weaponry and coin purse after taking out a handful of coins. She locked it and stuffed the key under her pillow. It was a good enough hiding place for now. This seemed to be a fairly peaceful town, so hopefully she wouldn't be robbed so soon. She hid her deed under a loose floorboard she'd found earlier. The new house-owner quickly left after that and locked the door behind her. Her first actual house and she wasn't as excited about it as most other new homeowners claimed to be.

Now to the female tailors shop. She mentally slapped herself for being dragged into this. She was thankful that it was on the square and one didn't have to go through an hour of wandering around in search. She walked into the shop nervously and was instantly noticed by the young, brunette tailor. The woman gracefully made her way towards Sparrow with a warm smile on her face.

"Is there anything you're looking for?" she asked in a cheerful tone.

"Umm. Well. I'm going to a party tonight, and…I suppose I'll need a…dress? Or something that looks nice, at least," Sparrow answered nervously, fidgeting as she looked around at the beautifully dressed mannequins.

"Anything more specific?" she asked in the same cheerful voice.

"Err…not really. It should be _'__flattering_,'" She informed the woman, quoting Reaver's previous suggestion.

"I think I have the perfect thing for you, then." Enthusiastically, she pulled Sparrow towards the dressing rooms, "stand there. I'll get everything ready," she said before hurrying off. Sparrow watched as the brunette woman hurried around the store, picking up random articles of clothing and occasionally casting a glance at Sparrow to check the sizing. She was glad that she saw some darker colors mixed in with the dress choices the tailor was making. She really preferred darker colors. After a few minutes, the woman walked back over and pushed her into a dressing room. She instructed Sparrow to undress and put on what clothes she knew she could.

Sparrow stripped down to her underwear and looked at the pile of clothes before her. Was all of this supposed to go into one outfit? She called the woman in to help her. The woman shook her head in disapproval and began to help her. Sparrow pulled on the undergarments as they were handed to her. The tailor helped her tie up the girdle, and she made sure she pulled the device as tight as it would go. A light groan escaped her lips as the torture device was being tied. The tailor helped assemble the rest of the dress. It was a silky, emerald fabric, full of glorious folds, lacey hems and loopy ties. It left her shoulders bare, and the sleeves hung loosely around her biceps. The only flaw was that the outfit couldn't hide the will lines streaking her lightly tanned skin.

The woman studied her before hurrying out of the dressing room, and in a moment, she was back with simple hoop earrings and a pair of heels to match the dress. She looked satisfied when she asked if Sparrow would like to look at herself in the mirror. Sparrow eagerly walked outside of the dressing room, hoping the torment was worth it. She was indeed pleased when she saw herself at last. The dress seemed to add extra shape to her body that she didn't know was there. Maybe it was just the 'torture device'.

"Do you want it or should we try again?" the tailor asked, ready to please.

"No, no. No. This is perfect." She paused before curiously asking, "Can I purchase the dress without taking it off? It'd be awfully hard to undress myself only to have to put it on all over again when I get home."

"Sure. Come with me," the tailor said as she walked to the register. She quickly added up the total for her. Luckily, Sparrow had no problem paying for the very large sum. She had grabbed a hefty handful before she had left her new house. "Now, about your hair… my friend, the Hair Stylist, would be able to fix it up for you. She's only a few stores down." Sparrow thought about the tailor's slightly rude suggestion before deciding not to act against it.

"Thank you," she said with a false smile, grabbed her things, and walked out the door of the shop. She looked down the street, and just as the tailor had indicated, a stylist sign hung just above a door only three stores over. Seeing how she'd paid so much for the dress already, Sparrow decided to go ahead with getting her hair styled. She walked down the street with much effort. The dress felt heavy, and the girdle made breathing difficult, but she managed to make it to the hair stylist. She looked like a kind, older woman with streaks of grey running through her black hair. The peasant clothes worn by the woman offered no shape to her figure, but she seemed unbothered by the fact. She smiled up at Sparrow as she walked into the door.

"The Tailor told me I should come here…" she said slowly, unsure of how to address her.

"What would you like?" The woman spoke with a soft voice as she gestured towards a stylist chair.

"Anything that you think would look nice. If you cut it, though, please don't cut it too short? I like to pin my hair up often," she answered as she made her way to the chair. She carefully sat down, finding slight difficulty in the task with the dress on. When she sat herself, she pulled her mouse colored hair out of its ponytail. The wavy hair fell to about the middle of her back. The woman looked over her before trimming the ends and taking her time to curl the soft hair. She applied a deep, red lipstick to Sparrow's lips and dark shadow to her eyes. All this care made Sparrow feel awkward. Never before had she'd gone through such lengths to make an appearance. It was nearly time for the party to start by the time she finished preparing herself. She saw a few people walking towards Reaver's new mansion in the dying sunlight. She'd take her time getting there: she didn't want to be one of the first arrivals, for she wanted to blend in with the other's that would be there.

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**(A/N)** Next chapter will be of the party, of course. I won't spoil too much, so I'll leave it at that. I'll try to get this next chapter in as soon as I can. I am going to start work on my senior project soon, and I also have Theater to do, so I'm sure the quick updates won't last to much longer. I'll do my best though.


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